{"id":8617,"date":"2013-05-09T03:00:07","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T10:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=8617"},"modified":"2013-05-13T09:47:34","modified_gmt":"2013-05-13T16:47:34","slug":"melinda-pierce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/09\/melinda-pierce\/","title":{"rendered":"The Value of A Press Kit by Melinda Pierce"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Write<\/a>Today\u00a0Melinda Pierce, author and blogger, will share her tips on what you need to put together a great press kit. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Having worked as an executive assistant for a publisher, I have a great appreciation for press kits<\/strong>. I would often receive emails from a conference coordinator or my boss needing promotional items sent ASAP. I\u2019d pull items from one folder or another, or grab what was posted on the website, and shoot it all off \u00a0only to find out there was a word limit on the bio or the JPEG resolution was too high on the headshot. It became frustrating and time consuming. So, I got organized and put together a kit.<\/p>\n

Now, you\u2019re probably asking yourself how this applies to you as an author. Or, maybe you\u2019re not sure how to begin putting a kit together yourself.<\/p>\n

If you work with a publishing company that assigns a publicist, or if you are agented, chances are they will give you a specific list of items to provide for promotional purposes. From that point forward they will be the main point of contact for all those items, and you can focus on writing. Lucky you!<\/p>\n

But what if you don\u2019t have an agent or publicist?<\/strong> If you are coordinating your own blog tours, book signings, conference presentations, author chats, etc., then you need to take the time to put together a media kit. Trust me when I say, it will save time in the long run especially when you are already fighting for precious time between promoting your current book and writing your next.<\/p>\n

Ideally speaking, the press kit (or media kit) usually includes bios of various lengths, a professional headshot or logo, workshop\/chat presentation blurbs and handouts, book blurbs of various lengths, and book covers in standard JPEG format.<\/strong> All these items should be stored in one document folder.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break it down item by item:<\/p>\n